Cata de Aceite y Vino

One of the SOL excursions for this week was oil tasting and wine tasting! We went to a little nook restaurant/store owned by an older gentleman. We met at 8:00 PM and walked together to “La Oliva,” the store. After filing in and finding our seats, the man explained how we were going to try a series of oils followed by a few different tapas and two types of wine. He said that at the end he would give out a few bottles of fancy extra-virgin olive oil made here in Spain at the end of the tasting to a few students that he felt were very engaged and enjoyed the class. The night was absolutely wonderful as we explored the flavors of fine olive oils, something that is such a huge part of the culture and artisanship here in Spain. The man explained how oils were made and he encouraged us to ask questions and really get into the tasting session. My favorite was a “queso fresco” (goat cheese) on a piece of bread with tomato drizzled with a smooth oil with a hint of garlic. I could eat that for all of my meals! He finished with giving us an assorted plate of mini cubes of fudge made their in his shop. They were so delicious! Finally, he walked around and awarded a few people the bottles of oil – and I got one. I was really happy and surprised and I’m excited to take it back home to make delicious Spanish food for my family with it.